In order to support the Chief of Naval Operations' vision of a "Revolution in Training", the Navy is committed to shifting much of its training out of traditional classrooms and into more distributed environments via computer-based training (CBT) and distance learning (DL) courses. However, designing effective instruction and learning activities that can be conducted without a co-located instructor is challenging, especially in complex, technical domains. This paper will present and discuss the results of two parallel experiments investigating the impact of specialized instructional activities on science learning when an instructor is not available to answer questions, counter misconceptions or provide additional information. Both experiments examine two types of specialized instruction recommended in the research literature - working collaboratively with other students and completing conceptual change activities. One experiment assesses the effectiveness of these techniques in the domain of basic direct current (DC) circuits and the other experiment focuses on classical mechanics. A total of one hundred sixty participants (80 per experiment) completed a pre-test, worked through a CBT lesson, conducted a series of hands-on activities, and then took a post-test. Participants completed the experiment either individually or collaboratively with another student, with half of the individuals and half of the collaborative pairs also completing conceptual change activities. Scores from the pre- and post-tests were used to assess learning outcomes. Results from the circuits domain suggest that, among participants who were not exposed to conceptual change activities, working collaboratively led to significantly better learning than working individually. However, completing conceptual change activities did not appear to impact learning outcomes. The data collected for mechanics, a conceptually more difficult topic, indicate that learning outcomes were not differentially affected by either conceptual change activities or working collaboratively. Future research questions and implications for Navy training programs will be discussed.